"Why I should be the Valentine of the Nasty Girlie Gang"

by Ivan D. Reid, Esq.

What a chore! To convince the whole NGG that I deserve to be their Valentine. Quite a job considering the disparate nature of the Gang -- a group that ranges from someone old enough to be my mother to another young enough to be my daughter!

However some qualities are universal and ageless and I'm sure I score highly enough to be interesting to most of your number. The problem, though, is that while I may have impressed one or another at some stage it appears that internal communication within the NGG doesn't always spread the news, so I'll have to let you know where to go to find about my desireable qualities.

In no particular order: Gaye knows what a resource I can be, providing good whisky, all-night conviviality, and aspirin tablets the next day if need be; Su could tell of my skills in bar quiz competitions and how I can be a tower of support in difficult days; Louise knows that I'm kind to animals (and bikes); Robyn could recount that I keep Gurrlie interests in the back of my mind, producing interesting business references from half a continent away; Julie is aware of my penchant for providing delectable Swiss chocolates and my resistance to scorched almonds; Maxine also knows the delights of my liqueur chocolates and the quiet pleasure of friendly conversations on the back porch; Jacqueline could mention how I can be persuaded to dance to Latin-American rhythms all night long; Shirley knows my resourcefulness, e.g. finding illumination in the face of a power outage; and Jill could tell of my tolerance for those with life-styles markedly different to my own. Emma, on the other hand, has just an hour or so of exposure to my charms and could be pardoned for refraining from an opinion. Unfortunately, I have yet to have the pleasure of meeting the rest of the Gang, so they will have to rely on those mentioned above to confirm my worthiness of the affection of the whole group.

At the risk of exceeding my allotted 200 words I'll just conclude with the observation that I've never met a Nastie Girlie I didn't like, and your awarding me the prize in this contest will show that the reverse is also true!